What is .wales?
ICANN's records put the delegation of .wales on August 7, 2014. Like most of the newer endings, it was applied for in the 2012 New gTLD Program round and its registry agreement was signed on May 8, 2014.
Nominet UK also runs 2 other TLDs, including .cymru and .uk.
Under the hood, the root zone points to 8 name servers for .wales, every one of them reachable over IPv6. The delegation is DNSSEC-signed, so resolvers can verify that answers for .wales haven't been tampered with on the way. Registration data is published over RDAP.
Same registry, other endings
2 other TLDs share this operator.
.wales FAQ
What does .wales mean?
.wales is a generic top-level domain named for the word "wales", and it's aimed at cities & regions. It doesn't belong to any country.
What is .wales used for?
.wales is mostly used for cities & regions. Like most gTLDs, it's a label of intent rather than a guarantee — check the site, not just the ending.
What country is .wales?
None. .wales is a generic top-level domain, so it isn't tied to any country.
Who owns the .wales domain extension?
Nominet UK operates .wales as its registry, under a registry agreement with ICANN.
When was .wales created?
.wales was delegated to the DNS root zone on August 7, 2014.
Is .wales a valid domain?
Yes. .wales is an active top-level domain in the DNS root zone, delegated in 2014, so .wales addresses work in every browser.
Can I buy a .wales domain?
.wales names are sold through ICANN-accredited registrars. Some gTLDs restrict who can register, so read Nominet UK's policy if you're unsure.
Is .wales DNSSEC-signed?
Yes, the root zone holds a DS record for .wales.
Sources
Data from IANA root zone version 2026102000. Last changed June 10, 2025. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
